Abstract

In the early Roman Empire the theology of Platonist philosophers became increasingly concerned with a number of Platonic texts that appeared to offer some hope of settling debate over the kind of god that Plato had postulated. Most of these seemingly authoritative texts were drawn from what we refer to as the 'middle' and 'late' dialogues, sometimes but not always considered in context. Small snippets of relevant texts could be quoted for a variety of purposes, not least in order to underline the erudition, authority, and perhaps orthodoxy of the teacher himself. In this regard it had much in common with emerging early Christian theology, with which it shared some interesting traits. These traits enabled some of the early Christian writers to find a surprising pre-Christian ally in Plato, while the similarities sharpened the need felt by others, both Christians and Platonists alike, to distance themselves from their rivals.